Understanding Your Migraines: A Guide for Patients and Families

by Morris Levin MD, Thomas N Ward MD

Twelve percent of the world's population is affected by migraines, tallying up to more than 35 million people in the US alone. The World Health Organization lists it among the top ten most disabling conditions. But even with those numbers, why are we still plagued with this disorder and what can we do, in our daily lives, to manage this devastating and demoralizing brain illness?

Understanding Your Migraines: A Guide for Patients and Families addresses, in clear prose:
- The impact migraines can have on your life, and your family's;
- How to communicate and work with your medical team to make sure nothing is overlooked in your quest to conquer your migraines;
- Non-medicinal and new experimental ways to reduce migraine symptoms;
- The special and important cases of dealing with migraine during pregnancy, in children, and in adolescents;
- How you can find online and community resources for learning more.

Understanding Your Migraine: A Guide for Patients and Families brings together the expertise of two eminent headache neurologists, Dr. Morris Levin and Dr. Thomas Ward, who have each been caring for headache patients for more than 35 years. Peppered with patient cases to show how to successfully deal with a variety of headache issues, the authors address common concerns in an easy-to-read and comprehensive manner, making this a must-have on every bedside table.

Genres: Health

216 pages, Paperback

Published July 3, 2017

Reviews

[Crystina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Though this book offered decent introductory information on migraines, I didn't find if very helpful. As I have suffered with migraines for half my life, I have done research here and there and this book is just too simple and did not offer me anything new that I didn't already know. Information was too limited and too simple without much explanation. For example, the authors spent 1/2 a paragraph discussing and explaining cortical spreading depression (one of the most up to date scientific theories that explains the cause of migraines & their symptoms). For a book published in 2017, I find it shocking that there was not more information on current scientific theories and understanding of migraines.

If you're just starting your research, this book is ok, but if you've done your fairshare of reading on migraines, you might want to skip this one.

[Munnster Tcm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a migraineur and I've read other books on migraines. This book is good for 'beginners' who have been newly diagnosed with migraines and who want to understand the disease more. It's an easy read meant for quick understanding of the medical condition. It saves you the trouble of repeated visits to the doctor. Instead it helps you to zoom in on questions that you would want to ask the doctor on your next visit.
It's good to also bear in mind that every migraineur has a unique migraine profile and there's not a one-size-fits-all cure in medical science. It's a trial and error exercise that requires a lot of self discovery and 'experimentation' to find the best medicine concoction - of course with the close monitoring of your doctor. All said, at least I know there are others who are suffering migraines, and some are worse off than me.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very succinct, yet informative book that explains migraines, ways to treat them, and ways to prevent them, providing research on both traditional (medical) and non-traditional (alternative medicine) approaches available today. Admittedly, I didn't learn much, but that is likely because I've been researching migraine information for years - this book confirmed and aligned with the information I've reviewed in the past. I definitely recommend this to individuals seeking to learn more about migraines and how to treat them.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book would be an excellent primer for someone newly diagnosed with migraine, or who suspected they might have migraines. It might also be helpful to other headache sufferers, as other headache disorders are also covered, albeit in less detail.

For those of us who have suffered for a long time, it's less helpful, but we're not the target audience. Nonetheless, even with a lot of knowledge on the topic, I found a few helpful nuggets.

It's certainly an accurate, evidence-based, accessible, and readable book.

[Cami · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this at the library and grabbed it. My scientific mind enjoyed the thorough research and well-written examples, but the headache sufferer in me learned nearly nothing new. I guess I understand my migraines a little better, which is what the title offers, but there is not much more hope of prevention or cure than what I am already doing. It was good to know that what I have tried and researched is backed by this headache clinic.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an EXCELLENT read for anyone suffering from migraines currently or even if they are in your rearview mirror, which if they are, I'm happy for you! That's awesome! But seriously, this book made sense out of everything I've been reading online and seeing as there's a TON of information online, I was glad to find a source that just made it super easy to read and understand. I highly recommend this book.

[Alison · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks for nothing